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[Strict31]

Well, I think my experiment is concluded unsuccessfully.

I believe I have found all the available war assets. I've got 100% in all the systems with only the Cerberus Base Priority Mission to go. I missed one of the systems, which is unlocked only through dialogue with a random character on the Citadel, but there are no war assets in that system; only an intel upgrade.

My TMS is 6889. If my Galactic Readiness was at 50%, this would be insufficient to get "the perfect ending". My GR is currently sitting at 58%, which puts my EMS at a goddamned five points shy of the necessary minimum of 4000.

That's assuming the min is 4000 and not 5000...I've seen conflicting sources on that score.

If it's 4000, I can probably get that with another MP session. If it's not 4000, this has all been a waste of my muthafuckin' time.

Eh...who am I kidding...ain't like I had anything better to do.

Maybe if I had the From Ashes DLC, that would put me over the top. But not at a GR of 50%.

However...there are two final assets based entirely on whether or not you destroyed the Reaper Base in ME2. One asset applies if you choose the "paragon ending" in ME3. The other asset applies if you choose the "renegade ending." It's one or the other. One gives a rating of +110, and the other +100. At 50% GR, this still wouldn't be enough to reach 8000 TMS (which would be 4000 EMS), however.

But, at 58% GR, it would just barely put me over the top. Hmm. Maybe I won't have to do another MP session after all.

Still not ready to definitively say it is impossible to achieve without multiplayer. But it's kinda looking that way so far.

[Strict31]

How was Red Dead Redemption's ending shitty? There was no other way that game could end. I honestly think it's one of the best endings to a game in the last decade and easily the best for a rockstar game.

The ending of RDR was piss-poor because it has a dragged-out feel. You go and get into this major final battle with a bunch of action and what-not. And then, you farm. You herd cattle. You deliver supplies. You clear crows out of a barn. And all of this is actual gameplay, not a cutscene or anything like that. This is easily another half-hour cramming all the worst parts of the game down your throat. And make no mistake, the cattle herding was one of the shittiest parts of the game. That never started being fun. You think you're long-done with that horseshit, but no. In order to complete the game, you gotta trudge back through it.

And because nothing you can do will change your final fate, you realize that the entire sequence could have just been a goddamned cutscene.

Another problem is that they tried to load all of the scenes where you develop an emotional attachment to the main character and his family at the end of the game. It's kinda too late at that point. While you know he has a wife and son fairly early in the game, this is really the first time you're ever introduced to them. And it comes at a point in the game where you are literally itched for a final boss fight or some sort of action to put paid to the story. They're busy emoting when it's time for shooting.

They could have performed this far more seamlessly and naturally, by creating interactive flashbacks placed throughout the entirety of the game, which could have focused on his time with his family. Introduce them to the player through that mechanism, and it doesn't seem like it's all rushed in at the very end.

Then, cap it off with a cutscene showing him trying to adapt to family life once more (something a hell of a lot shorter than what they did, because I don't need to follow his day-to-day farm chores, goddamn it), and then pull the rug out from under the player with the "inevitable blaze of glory". Then, pick it up again with Jack (or whatever the kid's name was) on his hunt for revenge.

That's why the ending sucked. But hey...some people liked it. And that's whatever. Some people also liked Jar-Jar Binks. I don't hold that against 'em. But if they're gonna ask why someone else thinks Jar-Jar sucks, they'll get an answer. Same here.

[Grayson]

That's fine. But it's still the game they made. People can dislike the result.. but to ask them to go back and rework it is ridiculous.

Good point, however, video games are unique from other types of media because of the addition of downloadable content. It's not unreasonable for unhappy gamers to request something else from the developer, especially when that developer has already set a precedent for placing serious, story altering events within their DLC packs. Hell, they will probably make 3 or 4 more missions available for download, so why not request that they fix something to appears to have made a majority of players unhappy? BioWare appeases the masses, they make more money off the DLC, and they have earned a reputation as developers who listen to fans. It's kind of a win-win for them.

[Strict31]

Good point, however, video games are unique from other types of media because of the addition of downloadable content. It's not unreasonable for unhappy gamers to request something else from the developer, especially when that developer has already set a precedent for placing serious, story altering events within their DLC packs. Hell, they will probably make 3 or 4 more missions available for download, so why not request that they fix something to appears to have made a majority of players unhappy? BioWare appeases the masses, they make more money off the DLC, and they have earned a reputation as developers who listen to fans. It's kind of a win-win for them.

They already had a reputation as developers who listened to fans. They were so devoted to their fans that, when KotOR was out, they brought the webmaster of one of the most successful KotOR fanfic communities out to E3. They treated her as their own personal guest, because that's exactly what she was.

David Gaider, one of the writers for KotOR even contributed to the site with his own "fanfic" that revealed more about one of the characters he created in the game.

At many times, there seemed no difference between the Bioware mods and employees and the community.

And Bioware has been coasting on that goodwill for years now. Just like Bethesda has. There's a lot of loyalty still out there. Some of it for good reason, and some of it because of...the delicious kool-aid Bioware manufactures. There are those who still defend Dragon Age 2. Sure, it had some good qualities, but overall, that game was ass. The fan community is still riddled with people who will defend that ass tirelessly.

Even now, I'm seeing some of those same types of fans defending the ending(s) of ME3.

But I figure there's a flip side to that too. Like this petition to get Bioware to change the ending. I'm sorry, but I agree with Chris (I hate when that happens...); that is simply a fucktarded idea. Criticize it, decry it, whatever. But a petition to change it? Childish.

And for all we know, Bioware may be taking a page from Bethesda's Broken Steel DLC for fallout 3, which continued the story even after the character had died at the end of the game. They came up with a way to explain why the Lone Wanderer didn't really die, and created room to continue the main character's story with other DLC.

Maybe the call to change the ending is premature. A concept which many gamers are probably familiar with anyhow...

[fieldy snuts]

Crazy luck. With my 60k in coins from going up to readiness rating 73 I bought 3 veteran packs and got my Vindicator upgraded to level 4.

Still didn't get the elusive Mattock though

[Chris]

Good point, however, video games are unique from other types of media because of the addition of downloadable content. It's not unreasonable for unhappy gamers to request something else from the developer, especially when that developer has already set a precedent for placing serious, story altering events within their DLC packs. Hell, they will probably make 3 or 4 more missions available for download, so why not request that they fix something to appears to have made a majority of players unhappy? BioWare appeases the masses, they make more money off the DLC, and they have earned a reputation as developers who listen to fans. It's kind of a win-win for them.

But they already are planning on DLC's. That's not fixing anything, if they intended to continue/finish the story via DLC's in the first place.

If their intent was to properly finish the game via DLC, then "fixing it" would negate that and thus make those hypothetical DLC's pointless.

[Chris]

Speaking of DLC's.. I'm pretty deep into the game now, and I don't get the hate for the Prothean DLC.

Everyone was all up in arms about it being unnecessary and that they should've just kept it in the game, rather than give us a release day DLC...

But the thing is.. it's really NOT that important to the game. He's actually pretty worthless as a plot device. He has some good lines, but other than the fact that there's a living Prothean (which other than a few throwaway lines from Liara and others doesn't appear to be a big deal) he is basically generic muscle on the team with some cool powers.

You don't learn much from him about Protheans that you don't learn later on in the game anyway.

In retrospect, it felt like a typical DLC to me now that they just released early, rather than a super important aspect of the game that they cheated people into paying for.

He's nice to have, but offers very little in-story importance, and is not absolutely necessary.

[Strict31]

Speaking of DLC's.. I'm pretty deep into the game now, and I don't get the hate for the Prothean DLC.

Everyone was all up in arms about it being unnecessary and that they should've just kept it in the game, rather than give us a release day DLC...

But the thing is.. it's really NOT that important to the game. He's actually pretty worthless as a plot device. He has some good lines, but other than the fact that there's a living Prothean (which other than a few throwaway lines from Liara and others doesn't appear to be a big deal) he is basically generic muscle on the team with some cool powers.

You don't learn much from him about Protheans that you don't learn later on in the game anyway.

In retrospect, it felt like a typical DLC to me now that they just released early, rather than a super important aspect of the game that they cheated people into paying for.

He's nice to have, but offers very little in-story importance, and is not absolutely necessary.

This is kinda something we already established. The problem was that they wrote a surviving Prothean to be unnecessary. The very problem is that he's unnecessary, despite being the only person around who could have direct knowledge of the problem the galaxy is currently facing.

It's like, "Remember that time in the first game when you were searching for any Prothean knowledge whatsoever? Well, here's a Prothean! Except, he doesn't know shit because he was just a guy. And kind of a dick. And all the Protheans were kinda dicks. So..."

[doombug]

Jarvik is awesome though.

[Jack Burton]

Final thoughts:

A great game that had some really annoying flaws. The multiplayer function being linked to the single player game was garbage. People don't play ME games for the mp. They want to play through a game and control their characters destiny. It feels like EA made Bioware tack that shit on. Oh you can reach the "good" ending with out using mp? Well yeah but you'd practically have to get all the fucking achievements and do the fetch quests. It was a bullshit way to validate their dumb choice. Nobody is going to be playin ME mp in a year so some people are going to be disappointed.

The ending is....weird. I feel like there were was some 2001 Space Odessey attempt there. It just didn't fit with the game. Not a fan but getting to that point makes it worth the frustration.

In short I loved the game but not as much as ME2.

[Strict31]

Son of a whore.

My GR is up to 72% after tonight's MP session. We got a third player and that made all the difference.

So, with a 72% GR, that puts my EMS at...

40 goddamn fucking points away from the 5000 mark. Can you fucking believe that?

There are no more War Assets left for me to find. I've got nothing left to do except start the final section of the game. Maybe I'll head back to the Citadel to see if I missed any quest givers, but I don't think so. 40 fuckin' points. Should have let the Council die way back in ME 1. Should have saved the Reaper Base.

Well, maybe it'll put me over the top if I do the Paragon ending. I think I should have enough for that.

Unless the minimum for the "perfect ending" is 4000 instead of 5000, in which case, I've got enough as is.

[Strict31]

Success.

EMS of 5032.

[Strict31]

There does not appear to be any sort of "perfect ending" as so many have claimed. It is horseshit.

At an EMS of 5032, the only difference to the ending is: The Illusive Man shoots himself in the head instead of you being able to kill him. You successfully convince him that he is Indoctrinated, and he kills himself. At that point, you're free to choose any of the three endings, as normal.

I chose the Paragon ending.

Now...having played through all three endings in my previous playthrough, I can tell you the Paragon ending was not any different than the first time I did it, with less than 3000 EMS. The final scene at the end is utterly the same.

I hesitate to try the other two endings, because each time you do so, it starts you way the fuck back to the point where Shepard gets hit by the Reaper beam. And that's ten minutes of my life that I no longer wish to spend playing anything by Bioware.

I might try the Synthesis ending...I dunno.

You cannot actively save at any point during this part of the game. It autosaves at least twice, but once you get through the final post-credits scene, it autosaves again, and places you back on the Normandy right before you launch the entire final assault. So, if you want to replay the final section quickly, just to explore the three different endings, your options are:

1. Fuck off

or

2. Fuck off and die.

It's ten minutes where the only real control you have over your character is the ability to walk forward.

SLOWLY.

I do not understand why they make you play through the whole thing just to get to the three choices for the ending. It is the single most passive part of the game. Could have been a goddamned cutscene for all the player input you have.

[fieldy snuts]

The 20 second cutscene where Shepard take a deep breath in the rubble confirming he's alive only happens when you complete the game for the 2nd time importing your ME3 savegame. And only when you pick the Destroy ending.

Just saying.

[Strict31]

The 20 second cutscene where Shepard take a deep breath in the rubble confirming he's alive only happens when you complete the game for the 2nd time importing your ME3 savegame. And only when you pick the Destroy ending.

Just saying.

Considering the fact that this is the renegade ending, and it openly states that the same sequence of destruction will inevitably play out again; and considering you've got to kill the Geth and EDI, this fails to qualify as a "perfect ending."